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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Where in the World?

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Suggested prompt...

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Write something that includes where you live in the world.

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where do i live in the worldor where does the world live in methe first seems so insignificanti have changed location so many timeswith little effectand although the world has changed a number of times in me as welli still find those effects to be far more life-altering.

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I could get into some fanciful writing about this little and large world I live in, but I'll leave my note here with encouragment to pop on over to my blog.

Last night, I uploaded a photo that was taken in my yard. This simple little photo says a lot of "where" I live, what my world looks like...in my back yard.

When I was about 12 years old, my family went to visit my Grandmother in Macon, Georgia. The kids there were still in school, while those of us here had vacation. I waited one morning at the bus stop with my cousin as she got ready to be carried off to school and the deeply southernated {my word} accents asked me..."Where ya'll from?" I told them VT; then one of the boys asked me what state that was in :o).

So, take a peek at my site to see that photo. In whole, it's famous here in VT and our back yard is full of them.

Southern California--beautiful, heavily populated, noisy, even in the Inland Empire in the shadow of Mount San Jacinto.It's getting hotter in summer and although the past week was filled with moisture, it is not enough to overcome the drought. The reservoirs are very low, yet the abuse continues--water, that precious commodity everyone takes for granted, is drying up. City water of Hemet is unfit for pregnant women to drink (yes, there's a warning), it tastes worse than water from a dairy farm runoff; it leaves a nasty ring around the bowl, yet the developers continue to build large tracts of oversized, overpriced homes, when we should be going in the opposite direction. I'd much rather see a field of canvas tipis. Sirens blare throughout the day and night, we don['t know whether it's the police or fire or ambulance, but it's usually a combination. Some brilliant idiot decided to send the hook-and-ladder on every emergency call, along with an ambulance. It's routine to waste so much here, and I think there'll be water rationing beginning next year. Beautiful downtown Hemet, the place I don't want to be. Pardon the negativity, please, but Hemet's just not for transplanted Midwestern coffee lovers like me.

If you look at Indiana, I am from the very most southwestern tip on the Ohio River. Southern Indiana is one of those places that as a young adult you move away from in order to explore the outside world. As I did. But most move back to raise a family...as I did. Beautiful rolling hills landscape but boring for an active young adult. The reason for moving back however is that it is safely (for the most part) removed from Urban turmoil, a handshake still acknowledges a commitment that you live by and family traditions are respected. So after you move away, get your fill and move back...you have the best of both worlds in the rolling hills of Southern Indiana.

There is a stark beauty to the desert. Everything is thorny and stickery. But even the birds can make nests in a cholla and I don't think another bird would go in after them! We are the hummingbird capital of the U.S. They migrate through here twice a year. Annually, there is a hummingbird banding to track the distances they travel.As bare and dead as it can be in the winter, the monsoons bring flowers and greenery to create a very lush environment in the summer. This is still a small town where the bus will come to your house and pick you up for an extra dollar!Coming from the coast of California, this was a tough move for me. Going on 5 years, I have grown to appreciate it!

Big trucks, bigger highways, drinking Dr. Pepper, passing a BBQ joint no matter where you're going or how short the drive is, measuring distance in minutes, beautiful girls in blue jeans, a melting pot of black, white, brown, and etc, a single Lone Star, state pride, I read in the paper today that Texas is the "stickiest" state, meaning that people born here don't leave here often, 75.8 percent stay for a spell, I liked that, I'm one of those folks, sure, maybe you'd say I'm scared of leaving my comfort zone, but, shoot, all of my family lives here and they're the most valuable thing in life, y'all, howdy, people freaking out if the roads get a little icy, Dairy Queens, huge Wal-Marts all over the place, Big Tex statue at the state fair, ever-present cowboy hats and boots, trains passing through with graffiti from Oklahoma, twangy drawls that make me smile and reply, "Yes, ma'am.", short springs, easy winters, and summers that turn cars into microwaves.

Please keep in mind, I'm a photographer not a writer. Here is my writing attempt:

Often times I’m asked, where in world are you from? People guess the South as I speak slowly,Others will guess the Midwest because of my verbiage,To confuse matters more, some will guess that I’m a hip west coast gal.

Am I to tell them I’m from the city I was born (The city of angels)? Or does it go beyond that to the fact that I come from love?Do I tell people I came from one of the many states in which I lived?Or how about one of the European countries that I lived and where I have family living?I certainly can’t leave out Mexico either as I’ve lived there and have family there too.

When asked where in the world I’m from, I simply state I am from the WORLD,But, I currently reside in the beautiful Northwest state of Washington!

At first glance you only notice the rolling hills and mountains. Little houses nestled in between. Barns dropped in here and there. Cattle, horses, and every other animal sprinkled everywhere.

Then you see the heart of a small town in Virginia. People smiling and greeting you at every turn. These people don't know a stranger. Kindness is seen everywhere. Helping someone with their grocery bags or handing someone a dollar who may need it. Hard-working individuals who don't know the word greed. They work to provide without lofty dreams. Family and friends mean more than anything. They love God and America.They are good people with good hearts.

where do i live in the worldor where does the world live in me the first seems so insignificant i have changed location so many times with little effect and although the world has changed a number of times in me as welli still find those effects to be far more life-altering.

I come from the land of Los Angeles, California. The land where apparently the weather is always nice (ha. I beg to differ...it is freezing at the moment...55...eeep) and the sunsets are beautiful (true but it is from smog). The land where everyone starts drinking at 14, and more than half the 7th graders get high on a weekly basis (know from experience). The land where everyone in highschool is an emo,a gangster, a surfer, a stoner, or a skater (also untrue...i know of many that are all :D). The land of stereotypes.

justsomethoughts - THAT is how I wish I could've written it! Nicely done.

Dan, Northern Indiana, a small town named Oxford. If you look near W. Layfayette and Purdue University you will find my little town of 1100 when I lived thee. I lived briefly in Bloomington (6 months).

the Wisconsin River outside my office windowis a white wastelandbarely showing the place whereone bank ends and anotherbegins

hard to recall the regal glorythey once held in jewel tones ofruby-gold-emeraldtrees now barrenpoke straight to the grey matter skyin stark loveliness

gone noware the geese who grace these shores no ducks quacking greetingsno creatures braving the chillvacationing in Boca no doubtuntil spring

all is calm all is whitethe angels made their chocolate crinkle cookies todaysifting powdered sugarfrom the heavensswirlingoutside my windowsparkling like diamondsadrift

i want to go home and pull onthe snuggliest socksdrink hot cocoa all dayperched in front of a roaring firewith a warm readbutthere is much to doso i bundle myself up and trudge through the driftsin search of that elusivelast minutedealbefore going home to sleep away the winter chill

She sat, apparently staring out of the window at the snow that surrounded the house, but her mind was miles away and instead she was watching the incredible beauty of the African Bush in her minds eye. The Eastern Cape Valley Bushveld, to be precise. The vegetation is predominantly small to medium shrubs with many thorny types, making it challenging to manoeuvre through, but perfect for concealing animals. The most common plant is Spekboom, which is also the Elephant’s favourite food, and sure enough, in the distance she can see a group of grey bodies peeking out over the top of the vegetation. She smiles as she turns her attention to the road and watches a car swerve to avoid a tiny little bug – Flightless Dung Beetles have right of way all through the Addo Elephant National Park! She heard a noise behind her and turned, eyes searching the ground intensely, until she saw a flash of yellow. Then it came into focus and she could identify an adult male Puff Adder, one of Africa’s most common snakes, and a beautiful one! As she looked closer, she saw other reptiles sunning themselves too – a Rock Monitor, a group of Girdled Lizards, a Boomslang up in a tree. The trees were also filled with various birds and walking along the road was a family of Warthog, tails straight up in the air, as always. The snow she was surrounded by had a beauty she could not deny, but it was eclipsed by the great love she felt for her home, Africa! She was an African, regardless of the colour of her skin and her heat beat with the African rhythm, no matter where in the world she was. The African sun would call and call until finally it drew her back home under its influence once again.

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